Burmese days….. on to Inle Lake…...

We needed a little respite from pagodas so were quite happy to take the early morning flight to Heho, the closest airport to Inle lake.

We have never seen so many dawns in such a short time……

and we were up before the balloons took off for their early morning ride over the pagodas….

We kept an eye on our luggage at the airport…… the blue and brown ones on top!!

and were amused to see a tyre being pumped up…..presumably that plane would have to wait for takeoff!!

 While on the plane we  noticed an Aer Arann tab on one of its food lockers…..

turned out when we researched its history that it had been bought just last year from Ireland!!

All the airports we land at seem to be very far from our destination…….a one hour drive from the airport to where we need to take the boat  to the lake..……….

Pace of life seemed a little slower here…….this was just outside the airport...

Arrival at the boat jetty…...

The canal down to the lake was quite busy…. while within Nyaung Shwe, the port for the lake.

but we quickly moved into the countryside…..

going to school perhaps???

then we arrived at the lake…….

Our first view of the leg rowing fishermen…. we couldn't stop clicking in case we never saw any others!!

We needn't have worried…they were everywhere!

Then a visit to a lotus weaving workshop, Ko Than Hlaing at Inpawkhon on the lake…… this actually was very interesting, they pull the fibre out of the lotus stems….hard work which takes time and makes the product quite expensive relative to silk, which they also weave.

..then next door to the silk weaving…..

weights to keep the tension correct…...

and we got to see the dye process….

Green tea on the left for the workers and dye on the right!

A centuries old method of making sure the dye is well mixed…..sort of like stomping on the grapes for wine….

 Out to dry!!

We were now beginning to think of lunch…..breakfast had been at 6.30am and we had done quite a lot since then!  Our guide had planned a typical tourist restaurant for us ( mentioned pizza and pasta possibilities!)…….I had other plans!!  I had read about a Burmese cat sanctuary…with a restaurant!!